My name is Tom Ledue and I am a candidate for the US Senate. If any of you get confused with all of these Tom’s running around, just remember that I am the Tom with the French last name, French mother, French wife, and French kids. It is an honor to be here with you today. Before I talk about myself and our future, I would like to recognize my family: My wife Claire, and daughters Natalie, Catherine, Annie and Rachel as well as all of the family and friends gathered here today. Thanks to each of you for your amazing support.

I also want to take a minute to talk about all of you gathered here today. Thanks to everyone from our seasoned professionals –such as John and Margarett Kneutsen, John Hennessy, Arden Manning and the whole crew - to the many pages attending their first convention - for helping to make this a great event.

I ask you to take a look at the people gathered around you. Take a good look. What do you see? I see commitment. I see that each of you gathered has made a critical decision; each of you has chosen to make sacrifices to serve your party, your State and your country. You have given up other opportunities to pursue opportunity for all. I see a foundation for change and I see partnership that will build a better future.

Our country is the home of the free and the brave. Now is the time when our country needs its brave ones - and this hall is full of such souls. I see a great beacon of hope because collectively we will change the world. The answers to all of our problems are within us. All of us have vital contributions to make. The level of service and amazing intelligence represented here reflects the commitment, tenacity and genius of Maine. And I know in my heart that as Maine goes, so goes the nation! Thanks for all you have done and will do as we MARCH TOWARD A VICTORY FOR ALL AMERICANS IN THE FALL.

I will be talking to you about who I am, why I am running and the principles and platform that will guide a Ledue Senate Team.

I am running for the United States Senate to help set a new course for our State and for our Nation by leading toward a vision of the possible, a future that fulfils the great promise of our county, the promise of our ideals, the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people. Such a future is within our reach, even as challenges mount at our doorstep.

I am a Mainer. I have been blessed by living here nearly my entire life. Claire and I have chosen to make our home here and to raise our four daughters in Springvale. Our roots in Maine go deep with personal history and extended family anchored from Hollis to Madawaska. From the bottom of my heart I love our State and her amazing people.

I am an uncommon candidate. I have not journeyed to this podium today through the usual paths. While I have not climbed a political ladder, I have climbed a ladder of service. I am a family man, a husband, a father and an educator with 25 years experience in the trenches, as an administrator, a teacher, a coach and a guide. I am a worker, a thinker and a leader who will rock the boat for the common good.

My leadership experience is extensive and has been built upon: clear vision that always has seen great possibilities, relentless commitment to pursue that vision, collaboration that calls upon the genius of all stakeholders, strength to stay the course, innovation to overcome obstacles,

And common sense to focus my work where it will make the most difference. All of these qualities have been essential in my life and they have been the foundation of my leadership in educational reform here in Maine for the last two decades. Across the many varied often intense demands of every day as an educator, I have never lost sight of my vision and responsibility. At Noble High School, I challenged inequity and helped to develop our school into a nationally recognized progressive model for its vision of serving all students well, innovation and results. In my work with students from paddling the Allagash to processing the Federalist Papers I have continually inspired them to reach for the greatness within themselves. Across my career, I have led teams of leaders. Together we have successfully worked through complex issues from stewarding our community through tragedy to dealing with large budget cuts.

We all know that change in the world begins with each individual. I lead people to envision the future they want for themselves and to move in that direction at all times. And in my most important role as a proud husband and father, Claire and I guide our family in the ways of love, teamwork, respect and compassion. I know that all of these qualities and ways of getting things done will serve Maine and the Nation very well in Washington. I know that we live in one of the best places in the world and that our children hold within them all of the promise and wonder of the human race.

I know and I have seen countless times that we are all more than we know. Our future should be bright. ­­­­­­­And yet, while our country has much to be proud of – as is apparent here today - it is clear that we are off course. Things have been tough. They have been extremely difficult for many and even harsh for some. We seem a little lost as a people. Poverty –poverty of means and poverty of thought – is ever present across our society. Even those who are comfortable are hungry for something.

We all hunger for a better country, a better vision of what will be. In 2008, in the wealthiest country in the world, the legacy that we are leaving our children is completely unacceptable. An unchecked imperial presidency, Global Warming, Unfair trade, Over Dependence on Fossil Fuels, Inadequate educational opportunity, one-hundred million Americans living in or on the edge of poverty, forty-seven million without healthcare, and Endless War.

Washington is failing US. Our nation’s moral compass has become clouded. Too often, the problems that we face are accepted as necessary, “just the way things are” or “too expensive to fix”. If we had the chance, how could we justify these realities and attitudes to the Founders of our country and their families? WE COULD NOT!

The realities of the struggles that we face do not reflect the promise of our great nation, - nor are they burdens that we must bear. We are limited in solving our problems only by our lack of political will. We must create the future that we intend and not stumble into the misdirected consequences of yesterday. We must set a new course for Maine and the Nation. To this end, we must renew our vision of what is possible.

We MUST ASK OURSELVES HERE TODAY, “WHAT KIND OF A COUNTRY DO WE WANT TO BECOME? And then we must commit ourselves to that vision that best protects the promise of our ideals for all people. AND WE MUST ALSO TAKE HEART for the answers to all of our challenges are already within us - as I have clearly heard in talking with so many of you around the state these past months.

We can recommit to the promise of America, and decide together that we want to be a nation that holds the common good of its people as our first priority. And together we can change course. As monumental as the problems at our doorstep are, they each can be overcome with our collective action. Individual decisions can and do make monumental differences.

Consider this. On a journey of 1,000 miles, if we change course just 3 degrees, - a change that is barely perceptible at first, we change our destination at the end of that 1000 mile journey by 5 2 m i l e s. New ways of doing things can have exponential results. Imagine if we redirect 2.5% of all military spending, approximately $25 billion dollars per year, to create zero interest loans and block grants for our communities to become more energy efficient and to purchase their own clean energy generational capacity through solar, wind, geo-thermal and sea based hydro power. We could jump start a national commitment to lead a green revolution, create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and ultimately make ourselves more secure in our homes. Imagine if every student who wanted to could afford to go on to college or other post secondary schooling because of a National Service to School Program that awarded two years of in state tuition for one year of National Service. Modest changes made possible by collective will, innovation and bold leadership will change our future.

But some may ask, “Can we afford to invest in our people? Can we afford to strengthen our communities?” I say we cannot afford our current course. We must remember that fiscal discipline requires social justice. They are partners in the same equation for national and economic strength. Investing in our people and strengthening our communities is ultimately the best business plan for Maine and the Nation. The most ethical decisions, those that best support our common humanity, are also the most financially profitable investments for society.

Our grandparents knew that it was far better to invest in cutting wood in the spring than it was to be burning the attic floor boards in the midst of winter. In our current state of reacting to problems rather than proactively leading to fix them we fail to invest in a sustainable future. Consider, Clean and renewable energy vs. global warming and pollution; Ethical business vs. the price of profit at all cost; True economic opportunity vs. despair;Education vs. ignorance; Health vs. preventable illness; and Negotiation and dialogue vs. war…

Given how we currently spend our tax dollars, we are investing in our own demise. Imagine what will happen when we invest in our own living! My hope and my vision reside within the collective heart and genius of everyone. Together, we will create a future of clarity and promise. Investing to intentionally create the future we want will ultimately create a brighter future for all. BUT How? How can this be done? Our world is increasingly complex.The rate of change that we are experiencing is exponential.

These conditions demand that we look upon policy differently. The days of applying band aids on a succession of problems, as if policy areas were unrelated to each other must end. Instead, policy must be organized to be complimentary and proactive. Because of this, my campaign platform is carefully built upon four broad interrelated goals, to face every challenge and reap the rewards of the opportunities of each. I believe, I know, that if we create conditions to empower our people, invest to strengthen our communities, show foresight to create a stable and sustainable economy, and all the while lead in partnership with the international community, that we can reclaim the promise of America, the promise of our ideals, and govern toward a world that harbors less and less suffering for all humanity.

We have all seen Maine and many states like us fight for the scraps off of the federal table, leaving our state with too few resources and impossible choices. What happens when there are too few resources and too little leadership? What is happening is that the very foundation of our society is being worn thin. This must change.

WE MUST CREATE CONDITIONS TO EMPOWER OUR PEOPLE!
We must empower our people with a strong foundation of a well-supported and honored constitution never ceasing to safeguard its integrity and holding all leaders accountable as the constitution demands. We must support the inalienable rights of all, including a clean, safe environment with renewed focus on food, chemical and consumer safety. We must empower our people with equitable and effective educational opportunity from preschool through college, making a national commitment to help all receive the education that they need, in truth rather than word, leaving no learner left behind. And we must guarantee equitable, quality, universal healthcare for all as quickly as possible while concurrently exploring all of the options for a national healthcare system that makes good health and financial sense. These supports would go far toward meeting what should be a national goal - to reduce poverty by 50% in the next 5 years.

And what are we doing by investing BILLIONS OF our tax dollars into already over rich oil companies, the industrial mega farms of the Midwest or large corporations that off shore our jobs? We are weakening our personal security and weakening the communities that we call home. This makes no sense!

Instead - WE MUST STREGTHEN OUR COMMUNITIES. THINKING LOCALLY MUST BECOME A NATIONAL STRATEGY! We must shift our national subsidy priorities toward local, small businesses that are the lifeblood of local economies. In doing so we can support local solutions for critical national problems especially through the support of community based agriculture, local clean energy production, and local industry that adds value to local resources. Such a change of financial priorities would revitalize communities across Maine and the Nation by keeping our money local, creating quality jobs and increasing our food, energy and financial security.

What are we thinking when half of our national budget is military related, when we act as if there is no energy crisis, and when we outsource jobs in the name of increased profit only to exploit foreign labor and the global environment? We need to think differently! WE CAN AND WE MUST BUILD A STABLE, SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY. We must reprioritize federal spending away from the military industrial complex to better address the needs of all citizens. We must invest our tax dollars in a way that makes sense - to build a foundation for our economy that supports all of us. We must build an energy stable economy based upon clean, renewable energy and lead the world in a green technology revolution. We must practice fair trade by implementing fair labor and green certification requirements for all imports. This will safeguard American jobs while protecting foreign workers and the global environment.

How can we be effective leaders in the world when we export our military might rather than the light of our ideals and when we deny the need for international cooperation? We cannot be!

Instead, WE MUST PARTNER WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY through foreign policy based upon Partnership, Mutual respect, Human rights and environmental stewardship. To these ends we must, WE MUST make a national commitment to lead the world to avert the global warming crisis. AND WE MUST Lead by example by cutting our own carbon emissions 80% by 2050, on pace for 10% in three years. WE MUST Leave Iraq quickly, responsibly and with honor through partnership with the international community. By working to implement these ideas, we will create conditions in which all can prosper. By looking squarely at the challenges we face and seizing the opportunity that each provides our country will be brought into balance and we will create a future that reflects our true greatness.

My candidacy is about reaching beyond politics as usual, to bridge the gap between people and their government so that both may partner together to reclaim the promise of America. I offer a different kind of experience, rooted in the current lives of Maine people, bold, courageous leadership that understands the urgency of this moment, renewed progressive vision and commitment to the constitution, and a clear framework of thought that will help us create the future that we want for our children and for ourselves.

We stand at an unprecedented point in history. The stakes have never been higher. We have no time for half measures or political caution. We must reach past politics as usual and reach forward with assertive, substantive solutions to meet the needs of our people. I believe that such change begins with each of us here. It begins with me, and it begins with you. I want to take the genius and the wisdom of Maine people to Washington DC as your next Senator. Together we can set a new course. To that end - I ask for your vote on June 10th.

I AM TOM LEDUE. A vote for me is a vote for powerful, progressive change and a relentless, tenacious commitment to work every day for you and for all of our children in The United States Senate. God Bless You ALL.

Date: May 31, 2008, 11:59 pm |